This was a last-minute race for me. Ira, one of my running buddies, called me and asked if I would like to go with her. She was running the full, and the person going with her got sick. I checked with work and was able to get a half day off so I told her I would go.

Albany is about a four hour drive from Birmingham so we left around 1:00. The drive was pretty uneventful. We went straight to the expo so Ira could pick up her packet and I could register for the half marathon. Then, we went to the hotel to check in, then to dinner and then back to the hotel to get some good sleep before the run.

The weather the morning of the race was very foggy. The temperature was very comfortable, not cold at all. As soon as the race started, the half and full marathoners were separated so I pretty much ran by myself the whole time. There were three runners right by me that were walk/running the whole thing. Every time they walked I passed them. Every time they ran they passed me. It got old quickly, especially since they were almost blocking the whole road while they walked. So around mile 6 I kicked it up and got ahead and stayed ahead of them. I felt it at the end though. I was dead tired by mile 11. But I finished and felt pretty good when I was done.

Ira improved her marathon time by 12 minutes which is awesome! After the race we walked around the Mardi Gras celebration that was going on a few blocks away. Then it was time to pack up and come home.

All in all, I had a really good time with Ira. Albany is a very flat course and I think I might go back next year and do the full marathon!